Method and system for extracting status information from networked devices using the SNMP protocol

• US 20060155846A1
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for extracting, using an SNMP protocol, information associated with a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network. The method includes the steps of (1) accessing a first memory to obtain access information for accessing the monitored device, the access information including (a) a type of status information to obtain from the monitored device, and (b) an access string used for obtaining the type of status information from the monitored device; (2) parsing the access string to determine whether the access string is empty, and to determine whether the access string includes a first predetermined string when the access string is not empty; (3) if the parsing step determines that the access string is not empty and that the access string includes the first predetermined string, accessing the device using a first SNMP access function to obtain a value associated with the type of status information; and (4) if the parsing step determines that the access string is empty or that the access string does not include the first predetermined string, accessing the device using a second SNMP access function to obtain the value associated with the type of status information.

Claims

1. A method of extracting, using an SNMP protocol, information associated with a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network, comprising:

accessing a first memory to obtain access information for accessing the monitored device, the access information including (1) a type of status information to obtain from the monitored device, and (2) an access string used for obtaining the type of status information from the monitored device;

parsing the access string to determine whether the access string is empty, and to determine whether the access string includes a first predetermined string when the access string is not empty;

if the parsing step determines that the access string is not empty and that the access string includes the first predetermined string, accessing the device using a first SNMP access function to obtain a value associated with the type of status information; and

if the parsing step determines that the access string is empty or that the access string does not include the first predetermined string, accessing the device using a second SNMP access function to obtain the value associated with the type of status information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parsing step comprises:

parsing the access string to determine whether the first element of the access string is the first predetermined string, if the access string is not empty;

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the first memory comprises:

accessing the first memory to obtain OID information corresponding to the type of status information to be obtained from the monitored device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SNMP access function is the SNMP “

Get”

function and the second SNMP access function is the SNMP “

Get Next”

function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the first memory comprises:

accessing an external storage device configured to store the access information for accessing the monitored device using a plurality of communication protocols.

6. A system for extracting, using an SNMP protocol, information associated with a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network, comprising:

means for accessing a first memory to obtain access information for accessing the monitored device, the access information including (1) a type of status information to obtain from the monitored device, and (2) an access string used for obtaining the type of status information from the monitored device;

means for parsing the access string to determine whether the access string is empty, and to determine whether the access string includes a first predetermined string when the access string is not empty;

if the means for parsing determines that the access string is not empty and that the access string includes the first predetermined string, means for accessing the device using a first SNMP access function to obtain a value associated with the type of status information; and

if the means for parsing determines that the access string is empty or that the access string does not include the first predetermined string, means for accessing the device using a second SNMP access function to obtain the value associated with the type of status information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for parsing comprises:

means for parsing the access string to determine whether the first element of the access string is the first predetermined string, if the access string is not empty;

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for accessing the first memory comprises:

means for accessing the first memory to obtain OID information corresponding to the type of status information to be obtained from the monitored device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for accessing the device using the first SNMP access function includes means for accessing the device using the SNMP “

Get”

function, and the means for accessing the device using the second SNMP access function includes means for accessing the device using the SNMP “

Get Next”

function.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for accessing the first memory comprises:

means for accessing an external storage device configured to store the access information for accessing the monitored device using a plurality of communication protocols.

11. A computer program product storing instructions for execution on a computer system, which when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to extract, using an SNMP protocol, information associated with a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for accessing a first memory to obtain access information for accessing the monitored device, the access information including (1) a type of status information to obtain from the monitored device, and (2) an access string used for obtaining the type of status information from the monitored device;

instructions for parsing the access string to determine whether the access string is empty, and to determine whether the access string includes a first predetermined string when the access string is not empty;

if the instructions for parsing determines that the access string is not empty and that the access string includes the first predetermined string, instructions for accessing the device using a first SNMP access function to obtain a value associated with the type of status information; and

if the instructions for parsing determines that the access string is empty or that the access string does not include the first predetermined string, instructions for accessing the device using a second SNMP access function to obtain the value associated with the type of status information.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions for parsing comprise:

instructions for parsing the access string to determine whether the first element of the access string is the first predetermined string, if the access string is not empty;

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions for accessing the first memory comprise:

instructions for accessing the first memory to obtain OID information corresponding to the type of status information to be obtained from the monitored device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first SNMP access function is the SNMP “

Get”

function and the second SNMP access function is the SNMP “

Get Next”

function.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions for accessing the first memory comprise:

instructions for accessing an external storage device configured to store the access information for accessing the monitored device using a plurality of communication protocols.